So, in roughly ascending order, here are Geek Graffiti’s films of 2022:
Turning Red (GG review here)
Forgotten by many, probably because Disney dumped it onto streaming with no fanfare. Maybe they were worried by the subject matter… its essentially about the tribulations of female puberty as made by Pixar. It has all the care, craft, emotion and accuracy of a Pixar movie and was criminally underseen. Check it out.
The Northman (GG review here)
Okay, so it’s ‘Hamlet: The Action Movie.’ Sure, that’s not going to appeal to everyone, but it’s a beautifully made, beautifully filmed, swaggering, earthy, bloody blast. Robert Eggers continues to build on his vast talent with this, his third feature film.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Nicholas Cage is ‘Nic Cage’! Not just for Cage aficionados and film nerds (although the more immersed in his filmography you are, the more you will enjoy this) Cage and Pedro Pascal have an absolute blast in the comedy movie of the year. Cage is hired to attend the birthday of a fantastically wealthy playboy in Majorca. Various American Government agencies take an interest, suspicious about the source of Pascal’s wealth. Much self-referential hilarity ensues and Cage gleefully laughs at himself, his reputation, and his shamanic acting methodology.
The Batman (GG review here)
The most faithful interpretation of Batman on-screen other than The Animated Series? You be the judge.
It still feels wildly unlikely that a live-action Superhero film better than The Dark Knight will be made during GG’s lifetime, but this brought Batman back closer to his comic characterisation after the missteps since 2012.
Apparently still not a part of the official DCEU, meaning that we are likely to have three different cinematic Batmen by the end of 2023: Pattinson, Batffleck, and Michael Keaton. Who knows what Warner Brothers and James Gunn are planning?
It’s been almost a year since we saw this, and the 4k disc is sitting unopened nearby, so a re-review might be appropriate.
Prey (GG review here)
Finally! A decent new movie in the Holy Trinity of 80’s monsters. It was worth the wait for the best Predator movie since 1990. I would say ‘let’s hope the studio doesn’t make the same mistakes with the franchise again,’ but I have more self-respect. Enjoy the good ones while you can.
Top Gun Maverick (GG review here)
Best action movie of 2022. Period.
Fall (GG review here)
… and the best horror. Nothing else came close for sheer visceral dread.
The two best films of the year are:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
One of two big multiverse movies this year, along with Sam Raimi’s entry into the MCU, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. The latter was a lot of fun and had some standout moments. It’s going to be interesting to see how (SPOILER) Charlize Theron fits into the franchise (glad to see she’s just been recognised by Empire Magazine as one of the 50 greatest actors of all time), but the movie deserved the criticism it got in comparison to Everything Everywhere… for not really doing much with the idea of the multiverse.
Everything Everywhere… was an unexpected blast: hilarious, hugely emotional, wildly silly and unpredictable, with brilliant performances by Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Since watching it we’ve noted The Matrix comparisons and for sure it has that feeling of a fractured reality, of gossamer thin walls separating us from other realities we can only ordinarily perceive with an understanding of quantum physics. Most of all though it’s just a wildly human ride from start to finish, not to mention kudos for use of suspiciously butt-plug-shaped ornaments…
And number one, to the surprise of absolutely no GG reader is…
Belfast (GG review here)
All human life is here. It’s as relevant to the world now as it is to 1969 Belfast. Belfast is, simply, a beautiful film.
That’s it.
For 2022, thanks for reading, and thanks for letting me write.
